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Curtains up on 2014, higher hurdles for third parties, JobsOhio's day in court and city halls in transition: Ohio Politics Roundup

Ed FitzGerald.JPG

Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald is going after one of Gov. John Kasich's strengths: a state economy that improved under his watch. FitzGerald and his Democratic allies are arguing that the recovery began under former Gov. Ted Strickland, accelerated briefly under Kasich, then plateaued.
(Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer)

Game on, John Kasich and Ed FitzGerald. Game over, Charlie Earl? It's all in the game for Martin J. Sweeney and Kevin Kelley. But me? I'm just a journalist from a podunk town. Here's your Ohio Politics Roundup.

Off-year elections are in the books, meaning a 2014 gubernatorial campaign that already was moving fast now has the political spotlight to itself in Ohio. Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, the Democrat looking to unseat Republican Gov. John Kasich, wasted no time firing a shot in this new phase -- a shot aimed directly at a Kasich strength.

In a web video posted Thursday, FitzGerald's campaign builds a case that Ohio's economic recovery began under Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, briefly accelerated under Kasich, then plateaued. FitzGerald does not appear in the spot, titled "Kasich Economy."

The video opens with Kasich at a news conference talking about the "Ohio comeback" and "an Ohio miracle." A skeptical-toned voiceover chimes in: "Really, governor?"

The spot closes by repeatedly showing grainy footage of Kasich's recent appearance on "Meet the Press." When talking about the Affordable Care Act, the governor said the program would hurt small business at a time when "this economy is stalled."

Kasich's line about the stalled economy could be taken in context of previous remarks he's made about "headwinds from Washington" -- Obama administration policies that he feels have threaten growth in the states. But stripped of that nuance, "stalled" becomes a sound bite the Democrats are gleefully making the basis of their first web attack.

"If I were Ed FitzGerald and presided over the worst regional economy in
the nation, I would do all I could to twist my opponent's words too," Schrimpf said. "The
facts are that Ohio lost over 350,000 jobs and had record high
unemployment under the last Democratic administration.
Now Ohio has created over 163,000 private sector jobs and the
unemployment rate has dropped significantly despite the national
headwinds.

"It is true that Obamacare, beloved by Democrats in Ohio and
nationally, has created uncertainty in the national economy
as voters are seeing their health care costs soar and their policies
canceled. Democrats in Ohio will be held responsible for not only the
failures of Obamacare, but also the hundreds of thousands of jobs lost
the last time they tried to govern Ohio."

Update: Later Thursday, FitzGerald's administration served up a meatball to Republicans when Fiscal Officer Mark Parks revealed that Standard & Poor's had downgraded the county's credit rating, citing a weak economy. Unsurprisingly, the GOP is swinging. Said Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges in an email: "As Ed FitzGerald's fiscal stewardship is being downgraded, the state of Ohio under Republican leadership has seen its outlook upgraded and its rainy day fund filled."

Kasich on Wednesday signed a bill that requires minor parties to gather about 28,000 signatures to make next year's races and reach certain thresholds after that. Democrats, well aware that Earl's presence could help peel away votes from Kasich and make FitzGerald governor, had joined conservative Tea Party-types in slamming the legislation.

In Toledo, Mayor-elect D. Michael Collins is preparing to change offices at City Hall. Ignazio Messina of the Toledo Blade notes who's likely in and out of a Collins administration. Messina also notes that outgoing Mayor Mike Bell is not talking to the media about his loss.

In Cleveland, while Mayor Frank Jackson's re-election was roundly expected, another anticipated move became public on the City Council side. Two-term Council President Martin J. Sweeney announced he would not be seeking a third term as leader.

"As if there aren’t any party planners in New York City," the Post article leads.

The story continues: "In perhaps a signal that de Blasio wants to play like the big boys, the
mayoral candidate plucked event CEO Anthony Ferrello from the podunk
town in the Buckeye State nearly 500 miles away to organize the Brooklyn
bash."

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